"We opened it up to the world": exhibitions, visits to studios and outdoor spaces, architecture... in Antibes, the director of the Hartung Bergman Foundation shares a unique experience

In Antibes, their work has not left as strong a mark as that of Pablo Picasso, whose museum, located in the old town, is a popular institution for thousands of Antibes residents and tourists all year round. However, the Hartung Bergman Foundation, named after these abstract artists with distinct and unique styles – the German Hans Hartung and the Swedish Anna-Eva Bergman – who came to settle in the city of the Ramparts in the 1960s, offers an atypical universe, cradled by the surrounding nature, in the heart of a house that the couple particularly loved. Thomas Schlesser, director of the Foundation since 2014, explains how he has been trying, for several years and the redevelopment of this villa-studio, nestled in the heart of an olive grove of centuries-old trees, to bring a little light to it. Without distorting the place which, in some way, has managed to remain apart from the madness of the world around it.

You recently invited schoolchildren to work on the heritage of the two artists...

There were four schools in Antibes. The students created projects based on what we found at the Foundation. At the end of this experience, the students had their work exhibited in our museum tour. We moved from the works of Hartung and Bergman to their own work.

Is this something you do regularly?

Every year, we offer programs with school groups. We do this primarily with schools in Antibes, but in the future, we would be delighted to expand it more widely, with establishments on the Côte d'Azur.

Why raise awareness among young people?

Raising awareness of the work of these artists, but also allowing schoolchildren to explore themes such as nature, the elements, and science, through art, is fantastic. The Foundation has a significant artistic heritage to showcase, as well as some very beautiful outdoor spaces. It's an excellent way to stimulate the imagination.

What is it in the works of Hartung and Bergman that gives access to this imagination?

The way they were able to reveal things about nature and what moves it. It's very meaningful for children. It's not just about representing a tree or a star, but about trying to express everything that constitutes the inner forces at work in nature.

How would you define their art, precisely?

They are two artists turned towards the abstract, with a great spiritual dimension and a very intense relationship with the forces of the cosmos. That's what brings them together. What distinguishes them is spontaneity on the one hand and anticipation on the other. Hartung creates an abstraction through gesture, through his movements. With Bergman, it's much more constructed and thought out.

Three years ago, you completed major renovations to accommodate the public. Wasn't that the case before?

Three years ago, we didn't organize exhibitions, but hangings, with tours, mainly of the architecture of this house that they designed themselves, by appointment and only in summer. We therefore welcomed between 100 and 200 visitors per year. Now, it's more like 8,000 a year. That's a whole different story. We've opened the Foundation to the outside world.

It transformed the place…

What's extraordinary is that the Foundation brings together four things: fabulous architecture, an artistic heritage that contains a huge amount of works, moreover, in the very place where the artists lived, all their archives and, finally, an exceptional plant heritage with this olive grove of centuries-old olive trees. It was heartbreaking not to offer this unique experience. But, until 2022, it was difficult to open to the public, because there are many imposed standards. We had to think about the project. At the same time, I seek to preserve the spirit of a family home, of a privileged confidentiality because it is intimate, and that's great for visitors. The experience is on a human scale. We try to offer this spirit of a home, rather than the ambition of a museum.

A word about the Interior Landscapes exhibition, which continues until September 26.

When we think of landscapes, we imagine commonplaces. A small house in a valley, a stream, and a few trees. It's a stereotypical vision. This is a completely different way of understanding it, with images that are on the border between the abstract and the figurative. For example, when Bergman deals with a landscape, she often uses gold or silver leaf, which gives it a very refined and beautiful look. Rather than giving the illusion of a sun, she tries to make it felt. But, as a general rule and beyond this exhibition, the Foundation offers around a hundred works, a visit to Hartung's studio, a tour around their connection to each other, three screenings, the outdoor spaces... It's quite an experience, in reality.